Three Iranian men charged in UK after spying probe

Three alleged Iranian spies have faced charges in a London court that they conducted surveillance on and plotted violence against United Kingdom-based journalists for an Iranian news outlet.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, were charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran's foreign intelligence service between August 14, 2024 and February 16, 2025.

Sepahvand was also charged with engaging in "surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research," intending to commit serious violence against a person in the UK.

The others are charged with engaging in surveillance and reconnaissance with the intention serious violence would be committed by others.

Iran International, a Persian-language TV channel based in London that is critical of the theocratic government in Iran, reported that the defendants were trying to locate and target its journalists.

The Iranian government has called the news outlet a terrorist organisation.

All three men were living in London after entering the UK through unauthorised means between 2016 and 2022.

Sepahvand, whose application for bail was denied, arrived in the UK in 2016 concealed in a lorry, the court heard, while the other two men arrived by irregular means, the government said, including via small boats across the Channel.

They have been in custody since their arrests on May 3.

A fourth man arrested in the same investigation was released without charge.

The three did not enter pleas during a brief hearing in Westminster Magistrates' Court.

They confirmed their identities through a Farsi interpreter.

They were held in custody awaiting a hearing June 6 at the Central Criminal Court.

On the day the men were arrested two weeks ago, police took four other Iranian citizens into custody on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act in a separate investigation.

They were released from custody on Saturday although counter-terror police said that investigation continues.

"We are working very closely with the premises we identified as the suspected target of the alleged plot, and we continue to provide them with support," Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.

"This has been, and continues to be, a highly complex investigation, and we will not hesitate to take further action if we believe there is any imminent threat to the public."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government plans to publish a review next week of how to apply the UK's counterterrorism approach to state threats.

"Iran must be held to account for its actions," Cooper said.

"We must also strengthen our powers to protect our national security as we will not tolerate growing state threats on our soil."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has previously said he was "disturbed" to learn that Iranian citizens had been arrested by UK authorities.

He said Iran was ready to assist in investigations if "credible allegations of misconduct are established" while another foreign ministry official rejected any accusations against Iranian authorities as "baseless".

with Reuters